Best Colleges in Montana
The Montana Department of Labor and Industry projects only minimal economic growth in the coming years, with the state expected to add just 3,800 jobs annually from 2017 to 2027. The healthcare industry will account for much of this growth, adding approximately 1,300 new positions each year. Industries like mining and utilities, by contrast, should see an overall decline in employment during that period.
A college education, however, can give you an edge in a competitive job market, especially when applying for the most lucrative positions. For example, in 2017 registered nurses in Montana earned a median salary of $66,280, nearly $24,000 more than the median pay for all other occupations. Computer systems analysts in the state made even more, with a median salary of $73,760 that year.
To help you decide where to continue your education, we have compiled a ranking of the best colleges in Montana. For each of the ten schools on this list, we provide information on things like admission requirements, courses of study, the availability of online and hybrid programs, and financial aid opportunities.
All of the colleges below hold regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission.
Best Accredited Colleges in Montana
- In-State$4,523
- Out-of-state$16,391
- In-StateN/A
- Out-of-stateN/A
- Retention Rate71%
- Acceptance Rate37%
- Students Enrolled1,424
- Institution TypePublic
- Percent Online Enrollment29%
- AccreditationYes
- In-State$37,828
- Out-of-state$37,828
- In-State$13,302
- Out-of-state$13,302
- Retention Rate78%
- Acceptance Rate78%
- Students Enrolled1,168
- Institution TypePrivate
- Percent Online Enrollment8%
- AccreditationYes
- In-State$5,824
- Out-of-state$27,391
- In-State$5,241
- Out-of-state$21,469
- Retention Rate78%
- Acceptance Rate87%
- Students Enrolled16,978
- Institution TypePublic
- Percent Online Enrollment20%
- AccreditationYes
Salish Kootenai College
Pablo, MT- 4 year
- Campus
- In-State$5,076
- Out-of-state$10,260
- In-State$4,941
- Out-of-state$8,883
- Retention Rate50%
- Acceptance RateN/A
- Students Enrolled619
- Institution TypePublic
- Percent Online Enrollment55%
- AccreditationYes
- In-State$31,342
- Out-of-state$31,342
- In-State$30,736
- Out-of-state$30,736
- Retention Rate64%
- Acceptance Rate73%
- Students Enrolled991
- Institution TypePrivate
- Percent Online Enrollment37%
- AccreditationYes
- In-State$27,256
- Out-of-state$27,256
- In-State$24,237
- Out-of-state$24,237
- Retention Rate67%
- Acceptance Rate64%
- Students Enrolled677
- Institution TypePrivate
- Percent Online Enrollment100%
- AccreditationYes
- In-State$7,580
- Out-of-state$23,210
- In-State$4,848
- Out-of-state$18,576
- Retention Rate72%
- Acceptance Rate89%
- Students Enrolled1,602
- Institution TypePublic
- Percent Online Enrollment32%
- AccreditationYes
- In-State$5,515
- Out-of-state$27,168
- In-State$5,166
- Out-of-state$22,986
- Retention Rate74%
- Acceptance Rate95%
- Students Enrolled9,955
- Institution TypePublic
- Percent Online Enrollment41%
- AccreditationYes
- In-State$4,496
- Out-of-state$17,096
- In-State$5,742
- Out-of-state$18,686
- Retention Rate68%
- Acceptance Rate100%
- Students Enrolled1,140
- Institution TypePublic
- Percent Online Enrollment60%
- AccreditationYes
- In-State$4,620
- Out-of-state$18,209
- In-State$6,172
- Out-of-state$20,519
- Retention Rate60%
- Acceptance Rate100%
- Students Enrolled4,092
- Institution TypePublic
- Percent Online Enrollment63%
- AccreditationYes
How We Rank Schools
At BestColleges, we believe a college education is one of the most important investments you can make. We help you navigate the college selection process by offering transparent, inclusive, and relevant school rankings.
We use datasets from trusted sources like the National Center for Education Statistics to inform the data for these schools and our methodologies. This ranking is from 2020. To learn more, check out our full ranking methodologies.
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